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You’ve Lost the Weight: How Soon Before It Comes Back?

If you’ve just shed a lot of pounds, you might want to hold off on buying a new wardrobe full of “thin” clothes.

That’s because new research finds that lost weight starts creeping back almost immediately after a diet stops.

“We noticed that individuals transitioned from a weight loss intervention immediately to weight gain,” said Kathryn Ross, of the University of Florida, Gainesville, College of Public Health and Health Professions.

As to why weight started to come back so quickly, Ross said, “There are a lot of different reasons. There’s not an easy answer.”